The triple lock is the UK government's commitment to raise the State Pension every April by whichever is highest of three measures: average earnings growth, Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation, or 2.5%. It applies to the basic State Pension and to the full rate of the new State Pension, so pensioners are guaranteed at least a 2.5% rise each year, and a larger rise whenever wages or prices have grown faster than that. GOV.UK describes the rule in exactly those terms, and the House of Commons Library confirms it has been applied every year since it began, with one temporary suspension.

The lock matters because it decides the income of more than 12 million pensioners. A small percentage difference compounds over a retirement that can last decades, and because the pension is uprated by the highest of three figures rather than an average, its value tends to rise faster than either wages or prices alone over time. That effect, often called the ratchet, is at the centre of the debate about whether the policy can be afforded in the long term.

How does the triple lock work?

Each autumn, three numbers are compared. The winner sets the following April's increase. The earnings figure is the annual growth in average weekly earnings, including bonuses, for May to July. The inflation figure is CPI inflation in the year to September. The third figure is a fixed floor of 2.5%. Whichever of the three is largest becomes the percentage rise applied to the pension from the following April.

An example makes the mechanics clear. For the April 2026 rise, earnings growth for May to July 2025 was 4.8%, September 2025 CPI inflation was 3.8%, and the floor was 2.5%. Earnings was the highest of the three, so the pension rose by 4.8%. The full new State Pension went from £230.25 a week to £241.30 a week. If inflation had been the highest figure instead, the rise would have followed inflation; if both had been below 2.5%, pensioners would still have received 2.5%.

How much is the State Pension now?

For the 2026 to 2027 tax year, the full rate of the new State Pension is £241.30 a week, or £12,547.60 a year. That is the amount for someone who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016 and has 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits. Fewer than 35 years means a smaller, pro-rata amount, and fewer than 10 qualifying years means no new State Pension at all.

The full basic State Pension, for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, is £184.90 a week for 2026 to 2027. The basic element is also uprated by the triple lock. Any additional State Pension built up on top of the basic pension, and any protected payment above the full rate of the new State Pension, rises by CPI only rather than by the triple lock. That distinction catches some pensioners out: not every pound of a State Pension payment rises by the headline triple-lock percentage.

State Pension age is currently 66, and it is rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028 for people born after April 1960. Your own State Pension age and forecast amount depend on your National Insurance record, and GOV.UK provides a free Check your State Pension service that shows the forecast, the pension age, and whether paying voluntary contributions could increase the amount.

What has the triple lock delivered in recent years?

The April 2022 row is the exception that proves the rule. The triple lock was introduced by the Coalition Government and took effect from the 2011 to 2012 financial year. It was applied every year until the pandemic distorted earnings data: average pay first fell sharply, then rebounded by more than 8% as furloughed workers returned. Parliament passed the Social Security (Uprating of Benefits) Act 2021 to suspend the earnings element for one year, so pensions rose by 3.1% in line with CPI instead. The House of Commons Library records that the lock was otherwise applied in every year since 2011.

The 2022 suspension is also a reminder of an important fact. The triple lock is a government policy commitment, not a legal guarantee in the usual sense. The law requires the basic and new State Pension to be uprated each year at least in line with earnings, but the triple lock goes beyond that statutory minimum. A future government could change or remove it without breaching that underlying legal duty, although doing so would be a major political decision.

What do we know about the April 2027 rise?

The earnings leg for the April 2027 rise is already known: average earnings grew by 3.9% in May to July 2026, according to the ONS figures published in September 2026. The September CPI figure, published by the ONS in October 2026, decides whether inflation or earnings wins. If September CPI comes in above 3.9%, inflation sets the rise; if it comes in below 3.9%, earnings sets it; and if both are below 2.5%, the floor applies, which cannot happen on the earnings figure alone since 3.9% already beats it.

That means the April 2027 rise will be at least 3.9%, whatever September inflation shows. The exact new weekly rate is confirmed by the government in the autumn, usually around the Budget, and takes effect from the first full week of April 2027. Anyone quoting a precise April 2027 weekly rate before that confirmation is doing arithmetic, not reporting a confirmed figure, so treat early estimates with care.

Why is the triple lock controversial?

Supporters say the lock protects pensioners from losing spending power, and that it has restored the State Pension's value relative to average earnings to a level not seen since 1980, when the old policy of uprating in line with earnings was ended. Because the pension rises by the highest of three measures every year, it never falls behind both wages and prices in the same year.

Critics, including the Office for Budget Responsibility, point to the ratchet effect. When earnings surge one year and inflation surges the next, the pension locks in each gain in turn, so over time it grows faster than either wages or prices alone. That makes the policy expensive as the population ages, and it means each year's increase is hard to predict in advance. The debate is not about whether pensioners should be protected from inflation, which almost everyone accepts, but about whether the highest-of-three formula is the right way to do it.

What changes from April 2030?

The government has committed to uprating on the basis of the triple lock throughout this Parliament, and Budget 2026 confirmed that commitment up to and including the April 2029 uprating. From April 2030, the lock will be adjusted. According to the GOV.UK factsheet, the adjusted lock will still raise the State Pension every year and pensioners will continue to be protected against inflation, but over time the pension will track earnings rather than consistently growing faster than wages. The change removes the ratchet effect that pushes the pension ever higher relative to earnings, while keeping an annual rise and inflation protection.

For pensioners, the practical point is that nothing changes before April 2030. The triple lock as it stands today decides the rises in April 2027, April 2028 and April 2029. The adjusted version applies from April 2030 onwards.

How can you check your own State Pension?

The figures in this article are the full rates. What you personally receive depends on your National Insurance record, any periods of contracting out, and whether you deferred claiming. The quickest way to find out is the Check your State Pension forecast service on GOV.UK, which shows your State Pension age, your projected weekly amount, how many qualifying years you have, and whether you can increase it by paying for gaps in your record. This article is general information about how the rule works, not financial advice, and the official forecast is the figure to rely on for your own plans.

Frequently asked questions

What is the triple lock in simple terms? It is a promise that the State Pension rises each April by the highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%.

How much is the full new State Pension in 2026 to 2027? £241.30 a week, or £12,547.60 a year, for someone with 35 qualifying National Insurance years.

Has the triple lock ever been suspended? Yes, once. For the April 2022 rise, the earnings element was suspended by law after pandemic pay data were distorted, and pensions rose by 3.1% in line with CPI.

Is the triple lock being scrapped? No, not immediately. It is confirmed up to the April 2029 uprating, and an adjusted version that tracks earnings over time applies from April 2030.